The Fallout

- Here's an AEG-related ad that was rolled out by GOP Senator Jim Alesi against his Democratic challenger in the 55th SD, Mary Wilmot.



As is usually the case with negative ads, this one is deceptive and unfair in some ways. Ms. Wilmot, as she was not a senator (though an employee of the Senate Democrats), was not one of the persons named in the report as having a payment steered to her by AEG, as the ad infers. And the figure of $185,988 that flashes on the screen is the amount she's received in general campaign funds from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. To imply that she should return that entire sum is rather ridiculous.

However, she did receive some $18,500 from senators names in the report; some other Democrats have returned such funds, and Ms. Wilmot probably should too. And besides, the Democrats have brought this trouble upon themselves, and it's totally fair for any Republican running for office to bring this pervasive corruption to the attention of the voters.

(With Senator Alesi comfortably ahead in the polls, the whole matter is probably moot anyway; and his ad is likely intended just as much for general NY audiences courtesy of You Tube and the Daily Politics blog, where I found it.)

'Ridiculous' also describes the Democratic response to the ad.

"Jim Alesi doesn't want to talk about creating jobs, lowering taxes, or reforming Albany; instead he is focusing on the flawed Aqueduct procurement process Joe Bruno created and Jim Alesi supported."

Tax Law § 1612, which established the procedure which gave the three men in the room nearly sole authority to select the racino vendor, was created under the auspices of Bruno, along with Governor Spitzer and Speaker Sheldon Silver, both Democrats. And, by the way, Bruno at least had the good sense to stand down on the franchise selection when his ties to Empire Racing became known.

A Veritable Case Study in Corruption

- Don't really know where to start in discussing Inspector General Joseph Fisch's report on the investigation into the shenanigans that resulted in the selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group to operate the Big A racino. The report (pdf file) runs 308 pages; about 90 of those deal with background. The rest are devoted to what was described as an unabashed favoritism towards AEG "nearly from the outset of the process" by the Senate Democratic leaders; leaked information on competitors' bids, a coordinated effort to target campaign donations from AEG to selected senators, a passive governor left in the dark (figuratively and literally, in his case) on the merits of the bidders by some of his closest advisors, agencies which did their jobs admirably seeing their conclusions ignored, conflicting accounts and incredibly (and convenient) lapses in memory, and a Speaker whose passive-aggressive approach to an outcome he knew very well was untenable cost the state additional time and money.

The short line in the long report which might best sum up what transpired is the one that called it "a veritable case study in dysfunctional and politically driven government." But that only scrapes the surface.

The report has become a contentious issue in at least one campaign in New York. And though the Republicans, a desperate breed in this state at least, are going overboard in some cases, as usual, I think it's a totally legitimate issue and one they'd be fools to not try to exploit to full advantage. I mean, I think the GOP is full of it in most respects; they've spent the last two years opposing the president at every turn, demonizing him merely for fulfilling his campaign pledges as if he's steered the country in some unexpectedly radical turn, and purposefully not condemned nor disassociated itself from the basest incitements of hatred and racism emanating from its fringe elements. (Not that it hasn't been brilliant politics of course, supplemented by the massive influx of money from anonymous conservative outside groups protecting their own self-interests.) But in this case, the conduct of the Democrats in question was so egregious, that it's all fair play as far as I'm concerned.

And, as I've written repeatedly here, what makes it all even more outlandish is that the connections between AEG and Senator Malcolm Smith were broadly reported from the very first day. Still, Smith, Sampson, and their cronies carried on the corrupt process in a display of brazen and shameless disregard for appearance and consequences that is shocking to me even in the context of Albany. Not to mention that this went on with the Bruno trial in the background.

If, like me, you haven't yet found the time to digest the report in its entirety, you can get a comprehensive overview by investing around 20 minutes to read the final section - 15 concise pages - FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Or, you can just scan through the Table of Contents. Here's some highlights:

B. EFFECT OF EXTENSIVE, UNDOCUMENTED, UNHINDERED LOBBYING......................100

A. O’FARRELL OBTAINS BID INFORMATION DAYS AFTER SUBMISSIONS....................109

C. AEG ATTEMPTS TO CONCEAL THE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM ANGELO APONTE’S OFFICE...............................................112

D. APONTE DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF THE LEAK OF INTERNAL SENATE INFORMATION TO HANK SHEINKOPF AND AEG...................................114

E. SENATE MAJORITY COUNSEL’S OFFICE DISCLOSES INFORMATION TO AEG..........117

1. Senator Malcolm Smith’s Illusory Recusal Due To Relationship With AEG....152

A. AEG INFLATES IT’S WIN-PER-DAY PROJECTIONS....................................183

C. AEG’S CONTINUED LICENSING PROBLEMS AND LOTTERY’S E-MAIL REGARDING AEG’S LICENSABILITY.......................................................194

X. SENATOR SAMPSON DISCLOSES INTERNAL SENATE MATERIALS TO AEG LOBBYIST CARL ANDREWS.........................................................................211

B. SENATOR SAMPSON “INSISTS” AEG INCLUDE DEVELOPER DONALD COGSVILLE..228

C. CARL ANDREWS IS FINANCIALLY REWARDED FOR HIS “DIRECT LINE TO SAMPSON”.............................................................232

B. AEG TARGETS CONTRIBUTIONS AT DIRECTION OF SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE....................................................................237

A. GOVERNOR PATERSON: SENATORS SAMPSON AND ADAMS DEMANDED SELECTION OF AEG..............................................................246

B. SENATOR SAMPSON: AEG CHOSEN AS THE “CONSOLATION PRIZE” JOINTLY BY HIMSELF AND SPEAKER SILVER.......................................251

D. SENATORS SAMPSON, SMITH AND ADAMS AND SEVERAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS ATTEND VICTORY CELEBRATION AT CARL ANDREWS’S HOUSE..................................266

There you have it, basically. But let's take a closer look at some aspects which I found to be surprising or particularly noteworthy:

- As the process wore on, we started to read reports that Karl O'Farrell, the irrepressible leader of Capital Play, the Australian franchise contender who wanted to turn Aqueduct into a singles bar and build a "beautiful fence" around Saratoga, was involved with AEG (and, following the selection, that his involvement was one of the issues regarding their licensability). Turns out that he was more than just involved. At various points in the report, he is referred to as the "AEG founder!"

AEG was formed by two principal partners of the 2008 bidder Capital Play: Mohegan Sun, the well-established gaming operator, and Karl O’Farrell, the individual jettisoned by Capital Play due to his inability to obtain a New York State Lottery license. However, a few days prior to the May 8, 2009 submission deadline, Mohegan Sun announced it would not participate in the bid and AEG was required to find another gaming partner. Although O’Farrell was described by AEG to the executive agencies as an “independent consultant,” O’Farrell’s testimony, other AEG members’ testimonies, and documentary evidence demonstrate that he was an organizer and founder of AEG and clearly was a moving force behind AEG and its bid submissions.

As you may recall, AEG announced itself as a partnership of various entities along with the gaming company Navegante Group; O'Farrell was never mentioned, and AEG maintained a consistent effort to hide his involvement throughout.

The report also describes a relationship between O'Farrell and Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini, with whom O'Farrell testified that they "actually would catch up for a beer now and again.” Sabini lobbied for, and was granted a role in the selection process, and in an email to an AEG colleague, O'Farrell wrote “our friend has just been appointed by the governor to be a part of the aqueduct decision making process," which drew the response, "that is very good."

O’Farrell confirmed for the Inspector General that his “friend” referenced in these e-mails was Sabini.

While the report concludes that Sabini ultimately had no role in the actual selection, it calls his involvement "unwise in light of his contacts with O’Farrell."

- This was the first I knew of the involvement of Hank Sheinkopf with AEG. He's a prominent and well-respected Democratic consultant who has worked with the likes of Eliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton, and Mike Bloomberg (well, mostly Democratic....though he's not the only one to have sold out to the Mayor).

Sheinkopf was able to obtain, from the office of Angelo Aponte, the Senate Secretary, "the actual Senate review documents which provided the exact components of each of its competitors’ submissions." The documents were emailed to Sheinkopf from Matthew Rey, the Special Assistant to the Secretary, with the note "Here is what I have as per Angelo." O'Farrell subsequently forwarded the memo to the AEG team "(subject: “Comparative bids”)," though not before having them electronically scrubbed to hide its source.

Aponte denied authorizing his assistant to send the materials, a claim that the IG called "implausible" and "simply not credible."

"Incredibly, Aponte went so far as to claim that Rey, a recent college graduate, had the authority to retrieve Aponte’s e-mails in order to obtain the materials and “probably” had the authority to unilaterally disseminate the memorandum and that this action would not be “inappropriate.”"

As for Sheinkopf's testimony, there was none. He invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, "as his answers could incriminate him in a criminal proceeding, and noted his intention to do so with every question." Unbelievable.

- OK, an 'I told you so,' if you don't mind here. When Governor Paterson met with AEG investor Rev. Floyd Flake the next business morning after the selection, I wrote that it was incredibly foolish and ill-advised. But I also maintained that it was nothing more than that, and that the bad press aimed at Paterson should have been reserved for the Senate Democrats instead. So, Voila! (Still floating from our Paris trip!) The Inspector General confirmed what we've all known - that Paterson was weak and passive in this matter - but also that he "adduced no nexus between the award to AEG and the Governor’s attempt to garner the support of Reverend Flake" (though that the "unfortunate timing" "undermined the perceived integrity of the selection of AEG."

The governor is portrayed as basically being clueless about the actual relative merits of the bidders; but the report accuses his advisors, of withholding pertinent information. The governor's General Counsel, Peter Kiernan, had a report from the Lottery which ranked the bidders in order of preference, with AEG being 5th out of 6 (and that's besides the fact that they were considered by Lottery to be unlicensable due to the presence of O'Farrell.) However, the report states, this information was deliberately withheld from the governor.

Consistent with Kiernan’s decision to not inform the Governor of the recommendations of the September 17 draft memorandum authored by the Budget Director and Governor’s Counsel’s Office, this new version deleted the recommendation contained in the original memorandum to commence negotiations with Wynn, and, if such failed, to proceed to SL Green, and to reject all other bidders including AEG.

The report also details testimony on the subject by Secretary to the Governor Lawrence Schwartz in which he repeatedly can't recall the events of oh, so long ago.

Schwartz further incredulously claimed to not recall myriad meetings he organized and attended, various e-mail correspondence between himself and other individuals, and numerous conversations in which he engaged, and claimed unawareness of the Governor’s selection of AEG despite personally engaging the Governor’s press office in a colloquy about the very subject.

The Inspector General, however, fails to even speculate as to why information was withheld from the governor as it was. But he doesn't let Paterson off the hook. "To the extent that this information was not sufficiently relayed to the Governor, fault lay in his choice of advisors and the directionless manner in which he acted to make his selection."

- Malcolm Smith recused himself early on after the reports of his ties to Flake and the Darman Group surfaced in the press. But the Inspector General is not buying it; in fact, at one point the word "recusal" appears in quotation marks, and he later refers to it as a "façade." The report relates several instances in which Smith received detailed information and charts about the progress of the process. And, the report references emails amongst AEG principals which "are replete with references to not only Smith’s support but his assistance."

For instance, on August 9, 2009, Larry Woolf, an AEG principal, wrote “It appears we have the support of Senator Smith, they have challenged his credibility due to past business with Rev. Flake. Hence, Sen Smith has formed a committee of four senators that will vote as one block for us. The Senators in that block are; Sampson, Adams; Abaddo; [sic] and Johnson.”

- Sheldon Silver revealed in his testimony with respect to the conditions that he placed on his approval of AEG, that he "was fully aware that the imposition of these conditions was tantamount to a denial of the Governor’s request that he accept AEG." So, then why didn't he just kill it than waste more time?

“I considered it, and then I determined that putting those conditions on it would probably have the same effect and would be better in terms of being consistent with what I had been saying all along,” that he had “no horse in this race.”

Nice to hear that Silver considered the perception of his neutrality ahead of the best interests of the public. The report further concludes that not only was Silver deficient in his judgment in that regard, but he was shirking his responsibility by law to act as one of the decision makers in the process.

..Speaker Silver was obliged to assert an active role to at least overtly eliminate vendors he found unacceptable and use his statutory authority to ensure that the most qualified bidder was awarded the franchise. Such action would have prevented the loss of much time, and expedited the infusion of urgently needed revenue.

- Senators Sampson, Smith, and Adams attended an affair shortly after the selection that was described by AEG as a "victory celebration."

It reflects, at a minimum, exceedingly poor judgment for these senators who were actively involved the selection of AEG to cast aside any pretense of preserving the appearance of objectivity and celebrate with AEG principals and lobbyists at the home of an AEG lobbyist paid to influence them in regard to a contract which had yet to be finalized.

OK, I'm tired of writing, and you're tired of reading, and we haven't even really gotten to Senator Sampson. I'm sure we'll have ample chance to detail the Senate Majority Leader's leadership role in the scandal (and his attempts to suppress the investigation) when the matter is brought up by the Legislative Ethics Commission (definitely) and/or the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (possibly....and, I might add, deservedly). Suffice....for now.... to relate these comments from Fisch:

"When Sampson appeared before us to answer questions, his testimony was incredible....I stopped counting the number of 'I don't recalls' when I reached 100." [NY Daily News]

Better Times Ahead For NY-Breds

Looks like it was a nice NY Showcase day at Belmont on Saturday, with, according to a NYRA press release, a 30% increase over last year's event; while on-track handle was up by 40&. Of course, when you're dealing with a baseline attendance number of 4,180, an impressive-looking % gain isn't too hard to come by. (And we won't even mention that it rained and the track was sloppy last year.)

In any case, the ten state-bred races were full of field, and mostly quite competitive on the tote. And this comes on the dawn of a new era, with the expected infusion of new blood and energy into the program thanks to the slots which we're told will be online at the Big A in May. So I'm sure I would have sensed the extra buoyancy (if I was there).

Friend Or Foe was certainly buoyant in his return to the friendly confines of state-bred competition in the Empire Stakes after his two futile tries in open company upstate. The son of Friends Lake, making still just his 6th career start, handled the field of mostly older horses easily. Wishful Tomcat is a pretty solid five-year old who has proved that he loves the track, and he was absolutely no match in the stretch for this three-year old after a perfect stalking trip. Friend Or Foe kicked home in 12.28 seconds, and earned a career-high Beyer of 100 while breaking the stakes record. The Cigar Mile at the Big A may be next.

First-time starter Adirondack Summer ($8.50) was a well-bet winner for Christophe Clement on the grass in the 5th. This is a two-year old son of Thunder Gulch out of a French stakes-winning daughter of Caerleon who's a half to at least four other horses who won or place in European stakes races on the lawn. This is also the distaff family of the US grass stakes winner Red Giant, and the Euro champ Bosra Sham. So plenty of grass pedigree here.

Trainer John Terranova celebrated the coming of slots by winning the first three races.

- As for me, couldn't resist the lure of free music and free booze (not just NY wine tasting!) courtesy of the Brooklyn Vegan blog and Converse. This was one of several daytime parties on the last day of the CMJ Music Festival. In addition to the mighty Titus Andronicus, who has developed into one of the most accomplished live bands on the local scene, I saw and enjoyed Nashville's rockin' Heavy Cream with their impressive vocalist Jessica, Montreal's shoegazing No Joy, Blacksburg, Va.'s Wild Nothing, and, from Detroit, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The latter was particularly busy during the festival, and seems poised to be one of those bands which will take off from the extra exposure. Below is their video for Nothing But Our Love, from their EP entitled Horse Power. So you should like the name of the EP, if not the band.

Welcome to Resorts World

Hopefully, we'll never go there and hear this. (Can't find a clip of the John Candy line, please forward if you have it.)

Continuing this magical mystery ride, Genting insists that not only will racing be integrated into the racino, but that their building renovations will include the racing side as well. Those of you who have been to racinos at Saratoga, Yonkers, and Monticello know that that's not usually the case.

“The fact that they’re embracing racing as part of the makeover – a lot of the other companies a few years ago weren’t interested in doing that,” said Hal Handel, NYRA’s executive vice president and COO, who accepted the check. “So we’re going to walk out of this with a building that’s not only a world-class casino but is going to be a very different racetrack.”
.....
“There might have to be changes in how people get into the building over a period of time when they’re doing the clubhouse lobby over,” Handel said. “We don’t expect to lose any racing days or expect to lose any training or have any problems on the track.” [Daily Racing Form]

Tough Spot for Sidney

Noticed some chatter in the comments section about Sidney's Candy's prospects and prospective odds in the Mile. Not to take anything away from his record-setting performance in the La Jolla, but it just seems like a tough sell to me. I mean, we're talking about a three-year old with a single turf start, a Grade 2 restricted to his age group, and who hasn't raced since August 14 taking on the undisputed top miler in the world in Goldikova.

And he only got a Beyer of 102. (I just said that to get DiscreetPicks all riled up!)

On the other hand, the kind of brilliant speed he showed that day at Del Mar is dangerous in any race, against any opponents. And John Sadler's colt is working up a storm of late.

Since Sept. 13, Sidney’s Candy has turned in six published workouts over a combined 34 furlongs. His last two, on the main track at Hollywood Park, have been bullets: five-eighths in 58.60 seconds on Oct. 11, and six furlongs in 1:11.80 on Monday morning.

“He galloped out in [one minute] 24 and four,” said Sadler said. “He’s ready to run right now. He’s sitting on go.”

Sidney’s Candy will have at least one more work at Hollywood Park, but then Sadler will have to decide whether the colt’s final breeze will come in California or at Churchill.

“I might breeze him on the turf course there,” Sadler said. [Daily Racing Form]

The son of Candy Ride has some Grade 1 precedent in his pedigree too. His second dam is Exchange, who was a G1 winner on the turf in the Santa Barbara Handicap, the Santa Ana Handicap, and the Matriarch. Sidney's Candy would have to show the kind of gameness through the stretch that his granddam did in the latter. Exchange, by the way, raced in the colors of owner Sidney Craig.

Goldikova is racing in the best form of her already brilliant career, at least if you go by the Racing Post figures, and is being offered at around even money overseas. She is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs from Europe on Oct. 30..

The Usual Q.T. is a go for the Mile, and any horse who can sport a turf record of 10-8-2 (not counting a trip to Dubai) against top competition has to be of some interest when it comes to rounding out the tickets.

- Zenyatta had a well-orchestrated drill at Hollywood on Friday.

Shirreffs said he was not concerned about the final time, saying that overnight rain had made the track tiring.

"I thought the synthetic track was soft, and when it's like that they're laboring a little more in the longer works," he said. "You can't skip over it."

Smith described the work as "dynamite" and said that Zenyatta was far from extended through the stretch. [DRF]

All the better for her conditioning I suppose if the track was a bit laboring has Shirreffs said.

Paddy O'Prado is being pointed to the Classic, a race he seems particularly unsuited for given his poor performance in his only fast track dirt race (his 6th in the Preakness). However, as is often the case, the decision is being driven than something other than pure racing consideration.

"With the stallion potential of this horse, we'd like to see him do something big on dirt." [Racing Post]

Dale Romans must also be hoping for some rain considering Paddy O'Prado's third place finish over a sloppy track in the Derby. A horse like this, who excels at 9-10 furlongs on the turf, is kinda between a rock (the Mile) and a hard place (the Turf) when it comes to Breeders' Cup day....though he certainly wasn't horrible in his second in the mile and a half Turf Classic. If they have to have these extraneous Breeders' Cup races, I'd personally rather see a mile and a quarter turf race than a turf sprint or those juvenile turf races. Of course, there is another option for Paddy O'Prado. If his connections feel he can't get the Turf distance, he doesn't have to run at all.

"Industry Requests" in OTB Deal

As expected, the deal reached between NYC OTB and its creditors' committee includes a plan for racetracks to take over OTB's advance deposit wagering (ADW) system in return for the forgiveness of $65 million worth of debt, reductions in certain payments to the industry, a reduction in its tax payments to the state, layoffs of around 400 employees, and closure of some branch offices. In addition, as feared by standardbred horsemen, it includes perks for owners of the state's existing harness track racino owners which appear to be totally unrelated to the immediate issue of the corporation's emergence from bankruptcy.

A new corporation will be established to run the ADW operation on behalf of creditors which include NYRA, Empire Resorts/Monticello Raceway, Finger Lakes Racing Association, [and] Churchill Downs.

Shares of the account-wagering company are expected to be allotted based on the amount of pre-petition debt that is being forgiven by each entity in the transfer. [DRF]

Wagers on in-state tracks placed through the ADW will be treated as on-track bets as far as the tracks' retention percentages go; except that NYC OTB will get 2% on wagers placed on terminals at one of its 50 remaining branches. Not only will bettors be able to use, fund, and withdraw from their accounts at the remaining 50 parlors, but OTB is required to "prominently display offers to sign-up for new Track ADW accounts." So there's a change for you; OTB serving to benefit the racetracks. Whatmore, a "New York first" policy will require the parlors to show less out-of-state races, and "carry all operating in-state tracks and....feature these events on the largest screens available in the parlors" (except on Triple Crown and BC days).

The provisions that are upsetting the harness horsemen are included in a section which is labeled "Industry Requests." They would, if approved by the legislature, allow the racinos to offer tax-free "free play" credits to lure slots customers, up to 5% of the net per machine at the facility (though only half that at Yonkers and Aqueduct); eliminate a requirement for dollar-for-dollar matching when racinos tap into the state's share of VLT revenues for capital improvements; lower the minimum number of required racing dates specifically for harness racing; and, rather bizarrely, grant a variety of legal indemnifications to Yonkers and Monticello, including regarding any underfunding of purses resulting from NYC-OTB failing to meet their financial obligations to them. (An effort to also eliminate a 1% increase in the state's share of VLT revenues that was included in the recent budget seems to have failed.)

How these clauses got into the agreement seems clear. As Tom Precious reported on Bloodhorse.com earlier in the month:

The source involved in the talks said the harness push is coming strongest from Jeff Gural, who owns Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs.

Gural is not on the committee because he owns those tracks; but rather because he's the chairman of Newmark Knight Frank, a real estate company which is the landlord of several buildings with OTB properties, including their headquarters at 1501 Broadway. Gural is a guy who's been praised for his efforts to promote racing at Tioga Downs, which has set takeout rates at the state's minimums. However, it seems fairly clear that he's taking advantage of the situation to try and push through provisions that don't relate to money owed on his properties, nor to the OTB bankruptcy.

“Everybody just assumes that we’re just a bunch of greedy racetrack owners who are trying to take advantage of the situation to line our pockets,’’ Gural said. “The truth is exactly the opposite. We recognize it’s good for the industry to keep OTB afloat."

It's hard to figure how these proposals would help to accomplish the latter.

Whether these proposals will get the legislative approval they need is not clear. Though the Senate Racing Committee chairman Eric Adams signed on approvingly to the press release, the Assembly Racing Committee chairman Gary Pretlow declined to do so. “I’m not in a mood to give away any of the state’s money," Pretlow said of the “free play" plan. [Bloodhorse.com]

We still haven't heard from the thoroughbred guys on this agreement. Though nobody is threatening to reduce their racing dates, you'd think that they might share at least some of the concerns that the harness guys expressed here. NYTHA president Richard Violette, and New York Thoroughbred Breeders Executive Director Jeffrey Cannizzo are both preparing for the Genting ceremony at Aqueduct on Friday, and are giddy no doubt about the prospects of the slots money to soon come.

- Speaking of Senator Eric Adams, he got a prominent mention in the Inspector General's scathing (for lack of a better word despite the fact that everyone else used it) report on the Aqueduct Entertainment Group selection, though the harshest criticism was reserved for John Sampson and Malcolm Smith. They should be quaking in their boots knowing that the report recommends that the matter be referred for possible criminal charges. But this matter warrants a post of its own, so stay tuned for that. I told you that this was gonna be a doozy.

- Bad Religion at Irving Plaza on Wednesday night!

Breeders Cup Notes

The Sprint has picked up some more entries, including Atta Boy Roy, who figures to be a stout factor on the front end. And besides being fast, he's a five-year old who has developed into a steady triple-digit Beyer horse with three wins and two seconds on the dirt this year. Supreme Summit was supplemented for $100,000 and will be hoping that the Atta Boy Roy ensures that the pace is hot.

I guess this isn't a great development for Big Drama, who doesn't need to be on the lead, but who likes to track up close. I think he's coming up to the Sprint in extremely promising fashion. I love the way this son of Montbrook has developed, building on the promise he showed winning five in a row at age two, culminating in the Delta Downs Jackpot. Though he won just one in five at three, he acquitted himself pretty well; dq'd in the Swale, 5th in the Preakness, caught late in the W Va Derby at nine furlongs. But this year, trainer David Fawkes has him committed to sprinting, and with excellent results - two wins, two game bad-start seconds in Grade 1's. He's working up a storm down at Calder, and I personally think he's the horse to beat; at least tactical issues aside. There's not tons of speed here, but as you know, sometimes things just get out of hand on the front end in this race.

I was surprised to read in Haskin's column about the early wagering on the Classic overseas.

Lookin At Lucky is getting heavily supported in Europe, with William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Stan James all listing him as co-favorite with Zenyatta at 4-1. The other major bookmakers have it close with Zenyatta 7-2 and Lookin At Lucky 4-1. If you like Blame or Quality Road, you’ll find value, with Blame between 6-1 and 7-1 and Quality Road 7-1 to 9-1. Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) winner Haynesfield is pretty much 8-1 all around. [Bloodhorse]

Gosh, I don't see that at all. Sure, Lookng At Lucky is on a roll, and he's a nice colt and all; but they must think a lot more of our three-year old crop than we do. I'd have to be on Blame at 6 or 7-1.

The Genting Zone

Genting will present NYRA with a ceremonial $25 million check at a press event at the Big A on October 22.

The check presentation signifies Genting’s commitment to help NYRA keep the state’s horse racing industry strong in the months and years to come. [NYRA Media Advisory]

The $25 million figure represents the loan granted to NYRA back in May, at its darkest hour, which was to come out of the $250 construction bond and be ultimately guaranteed by the winning racino bidder. Surely, NYRA will never again need to be rescued in that way, right? This comes just a few weeks after Genting presented the state with another ceremonial check, though that one represented a real check which Governor Paterson immediately raced to a bank to cash (though it was too big to deposit in an ATM).

In the ensuing weeks, we've read of accelerated construction plans, merit raises for NYRA employees, millions to the community in jobs, big hikes in purses and awards for breeders, an influx of fresh stallion blood, inquiries about stall space from out-of-state stables, and physical improvements at all three tracks (eventually). I'm almost expecting flowers to sprout through the cracks in the parking lot, and a golden glow to emanate from the netting out beyond the grandstand turn.

Who are these mysterious Malaysians who have come from afar to breathe a new vitality into an enterprise that was teetering on the edge just last spring? And where the hell have they been for the last nine years? Genting has done and said all the right things since emerging onto the scene, going even beyond what has been required and expected of them. Could this really be? Are they as genuine and sincere in their intentions as we think? Or is their something about them that we haven't yet deciphered? Could it turn out like this?





- The Head Chef reminisces about Paris on her Grapes and Greens blog.

Tuesday Morning News and Notes

- Echoing the letter from NY harness horsemen to NYCOTB CEO Greg Rayburn that I posted about here, the prominent standardbred breeding outfit Blue Chip Farms is also wondering exactly what reduced racing dates for harness tracks and a restoration of a 1% cut in the vendors fee included in the state budget have to do with the bankruptcy reorganization of OTB.

While we obviously recognize that all of the stakeholders in our industry will need to sacrifice something to make any reorganization of NYCOTB work, this plan contains countless "gives" to the track owners - including upstate VLT operators with virtually no financial interest in the bankruptcy - with absolutely nothing but "takes" from the breeders, horsemen and multitude of related agricultural industries and professions. [Harness Link]

- Blame drilled a half mile at Keeneland in 47.60 seconds, and will work there again before vanning over to Churchill to prepare for the Classic. No issue with the Keeneland Poly for trainer Albert Stall; he's two-for-two over the surface there. As a matter of fact, there doesn't seem to be any problems at all with the Polytrack at Keeneland. The times have been snappy, horses are winning on the front end and coming from behind; and though, yes, Kopitar broke down and was euthanized on Sunday of opening weekend, as some in Kentucky like to say, "sometimes accidents happen."

So, here we have one of America's most prestigious race meetings, and the synthetic surface there barely seems to be a story anymore. Seems to me that it's just as much of a synthetic surface success story as Santa Anita was a failure. Yet you won't read that in the mainstream racing press.

While Blame appears to be set for a top effort coming off what I think was a useful prep in the JCGC - note that this horse is three-for-three second time off a layoff line - Pletcher is playing catch-up with Quality Road.

At Belmont Park, Quality Road breezed six furlongs in 1:13.46 as he continues to build stamina in the lead up to the 1 1/4-mile Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be his first start following an easy victory in the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Woodward on Sept. 4.

"We're running 1 1/4 miles off a little bit of a layoff, so we want to make sure we have him fit enough," trainer Todd Pletcher said. [DRF]

Of course, nobody forced the Toddster to lay this horse off; it was the plan all along to give him nine weeks off before the Classic. I'm going to be all in against Quality Road, even though his track record running fresh is good. He's a question mark at the mile and a quarter distance to start with (0 for 2, though both on sloppy tracks), and if the trainer is trying to get him fit enough to stay the route with workouts, then I'm going to bet that he doesn't.

- Wow, Cliff Lee was ridiculous, and the Rangers (Texas, not New York) are to be commended for the way they've dominated this series since what seemed at the time like a devastating loss in Game 1. Yankees manager Joe Girardi didn't help matters by overmanaging his way out of any chance to come back in Game 3 when he needlessly replaced Kerry Wood in the 9th after he easily set down the Rangers in 15 pitches the inning prior. At that point, at least Texas manager Ron Washington had to at least consider going to his bullpen after Lee had thrown 122 pitches. Six runs later, it was a moot point. Girardi maintained after the game that he will stick with AJ Burnett in Game 4 despite his going 1-7 with a 6.61 ERA in 12 starts to close out the year. Yikes.

Debate Or Bust

Tonight's gubernatorial debate promises to provide more in the way of laughs than any substantive discussion of the issues in New York; the five fringe party candidates are guaranteed equal time. I'm sure none of them will be a bust.

As far as I'm concerned, the less time Cuomo has to speak, the better. For one thing, as his margin in the polls expand in direct proportion to people learning about Paladino, it would seem that only a series of truly colossal gaffes could sink him now. But also, for guy with such a fine pedigree when it comes to public speaking, I don't find him impressive at all, particularly in situations such as a debate, when he doesn't have a teleprompter in front of him. I find him to be halting, repetitive, and generally unimpressive when he attempts to articulate his positions on demand. Of course, he's fine compared to Paladino, who would have nothing constructive to offer even if he was as elegant as the president.

The Cuomo campaign released this ad last week.



Well, of course, we all just hate these attack ads. However, this one is completely fair given Paladino's extreme position on abortion, which would ban a woman's right to choose even in the case of rape, incest, or, I suppose, bestiality, a Paladino favorite. What I particularly like about this ad is the line: "In Carl Paladino's New York, the government would make medical decisions, not doctors."

That of course turns Republicans' and Tea Partiers' arguments against the healthcare bill, and for that matter, government programs in general, right back against them. It also brings to mind what Jon Stewart told the House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (in an enlightening and civilized exchange that I highly recommend checking out): It's a "fallacy that limited government is the principled stand of conservatives. It's only limited to the shit they want to do." Like tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies, who can or cannot marry whom, who can wager on what online, and when we can invade sovereign countries for made-up reasons.

By the way, even the New York Post has eschewed Paladino, and endorsed Cuomo. That should surely tell you something.

Harmonious

John Sherriffs may have another star on his hands with Harmonious, who made short order out of the G1 QEII Challenge Cup at Keeneland on Saturday with a dominant run home in the stretch; final furlong in 12 seconds flat. Her still limited past performance lines - this was just her sixth start, her 4th win - are a thing of beauty with an unbroken string of improving Beyers which I'd presume will continue once the fig is posted here. Still ample room for improvement here; though she ran straight this time after bearing out badly last time, she seemed to get mixed up with her leads midstretch before leveling out to the wire.

Harmonious (Dynaformer) is a relative rarity these days in that she's a total outcross through her first five generations. She's out of an unraced Storm Cat mare who's a three-quarters sister to Jade Queen. You might remember that filly from a few years ago for also making a big splash at three, when she won two Grade 1's - the Garden City and the Flower Bowl, beating older horses in the latter - on the grass for Pletcher. Jade Queen never followed through on that promise, and in fact, never won another race. One gets the feeling that the story will be different with Harmonious.

The French filly Zagora rallied from last for second, and will stay in the U.S. with trainer Chad Brown.

Time for Thoroughbred Times Again

As was the case last year, the Thoroughbred Times website looks to be the only place to go for Breeders' Cup information that is presented in a sensible, organized, and concise fashion. Click on their Breeders' Cup section, and choose a link to a specific race.

You get a list of contenders, each of which links to connection, pedigree, and race record info; a list of preps complete with a handy link to a video of each in most cases, and links to relevant news stories. Voila.

This is not rocket science, just commons sense, yet the other major sites, including the Breeders' Cup itself, just don't seem to be able to grasp the concept. The Daily Racing Form announced its intention to be primarily a commerce site with its recent redesign - they should really consider going into the ADW business in my opinion - so I wouldn't count on it to provide much more than the cursory link depository that they have there now (other than to provide easy access to purchasing their past performances). Bloodhorse.com is a bit more organized, but doesn't contain nearly the depth of information as TT. And the Breeders' Cup 360 site is just an unruly mess worthy of the LIE at rush hour. Click on a division, and you don't even get a complete list of contenders, just Jeff Siegel's top six with some meaningless arrows and numbers. (Though, on the plus side, no sign this year of Jeremy Plonk.)

- The Yankees' 8th inning rally last night was surely one for the ages. You (especially you Red Sox fans) just had to love the way that, after Darren Oliver came in to walk the only two batters he faced to load the bases, Rangers' manager Ron Washington marched in his right-handed sidewinding specialist Darren O'Day, only to see A-Rod whack his first pitch into left field to make it 5-4; and then his left-handed sidewinding specialist Clay Rapada (activated for the series specifically for this purpose), only to see Robinson Cano rocket his first pitch to center field to tie the game. Oh man. Derek Holland was much better, but Marcus Thames laid off a nasty 1-2 slider (after lunging at a similar pitch earlier in the sequence), and fought off the next pitch to single in the winning run despite breaking his bat. If the Rangers recover from this, I'll be quite surprised.

- By the way, just wanted to mention that we thought that the people in Paris couldn't possibly have been nicer. So, so much for that stuff about how they are cold and don't like Americans, especially ones who don't make much of an attempt to speak their language. (I didn't encounter anyone who didn't speak at least rudimentary enough English to communicate.) And also wanted to add that in addition to the low retirement age, government-run health care, post-pregnancy state-paid, extended course(s) of vaginal gymnastics, complete with personal trainer, electric stimulation devices and computer games that reward particularly nimble squeezing, and other benefits of a socialist democracy, I found that there are no ATM fees. At all. So, I could walk around the block in Queens and get charged $2.50 to use my ATM card in a non-Chase bank; but I can go to Paris and use my card at any bank to withdraw Euros with no fees at all (and a very fair exchange rate to boot). Welcome home to capitalist greed.

Harness Guys Respond

New York's harness horsemen respond to the ongoing negotiations regarding the future of NYCOTB in a press release (pdf file) from the Standardbred Owners Association of NY. [Non-pdf link here, thanks Chris.] They express gratitude to Greg Rayburn for for "providing us with a general briefing on the outline of the plan," and then proceed to rip it to shreds, starting with the fact that the harness owners and breeders "have been excluded from the development of this proposal and simply have not been at the negotiating table."

Other main points:

- Although the horsemen are due more than half of OTB's $22 million debt to the industry, the proposed transfer of the phone and internet wagering operation intended to compensate would be made to the racetracks, and "the horsemen would have absolutely no ownership interest in the entity nor any role in this new entity’s governance." The proposal, according to SOANY, even prods legislators to include language that would “provide maximum protection to the racetracks against claims by Breeders’ Fund and Standardbred Owners Association”

- The proposals contain provisions that have nothing to do with the immediate situation at hand and everything to do with increasing the tracks' bottom line, particularly one that would reduce race dates at harness tracks.

Less racing means less breeding, less horses, less mutual clerks, less farriers, less feedmen and more farm managers, grooms and trainers on the state’s unemployment lines. This proposal alone should raise the level of consciousness of every legislator as to how very little this entire package has to do with “helping racing” and everything to do with helping a handful of wealthy racetrack operators.

Of course, it's a tragically sad comment on the state of racing and its dependence on slots that actual live racing is seen as a drag on the operations' bottom line.

Unmentioned in the release but, I'd imagine, another complaint of the horsemen is a push led by Jeff Gural to rescind a recent 1% reduction in the racinos' retention rate.

- Any provisions included in an eventual deal could become precedents for bailouts of other regional OTB's, thus further threatening the viability of harness racing in the state.


- Carl Paladino may want to take an axe to ruthlessly cut state spending, but the Daily News reports this morning that he's the one spending liberally on his army of campaign aides.

Veteran GOP consultant Ed Rollins said many campaigns try to limit their employee costs to 10% of their total spending. Paladino has more than doubled that rate.

"What's happening is that there's all these consultants in there getting paid enormous sums of money and there's no money for voter contact," Rollins said.

The Paladino campaign this week unveiled its first TV ad since last month's primary. There also have been no mailers, Rollins said.

Give Paladino some credit though - it's Friday morning, and he hasn't put his foot in his mouth all week, since his shameful comments about disgusting gay parades over the weekend.

Waiting for the Plane

Our flight home is three hours late. Not sure if it is because of the general strike here in France which started yesterday and which some unions, including Paris rail transit, are apparently continuing today, and indefinitely until the government abandons its plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. The plane is actually here, but we were told that it arrived late, and that the crew needed their eight hours of sleep before heading back. Even though it was posted last night that the departure would be delayed, we were still told that we should arrive in anticipation of the original departure time; and that in fact, we still had to check in and deposit our luggage an hour before that time. I mean, why then do they tell you to call ahead if you have to be here at the scheduled departure anyway, and even though we were told when we arrived that the new departure time was firm? What's the point?

Well, just more time to drink cheap wine (cheap in price, not in quality). Even at the airport, it's not overpriced here.

We were in the Musee Carnavelet on Wednesday, and were thrown out at around 3 so that employees could participate in the protests (as were tourists at the Eiffel Tower I understand). We eventually found ourselves in the heart of the action, and just by chance (thanks to my insistence on finding some good glace [ice cream].



















































































































I don't know if I'm ever going to be hungry again after this trip. The food may not be cheap, but they're certainly not cheap with the portions. I ordered oeufs le plat (fried eggs) this morning and got four of them, ooo la la! The Head Chef is spoiled by her own food and didn't think that any of our meals were transcendent, though they all met her standards. Don't tell her that I thought they were all amazing. I thought it might be all downhill after the first night, when we went to a restaurant specializing in steak frites. In fact, it was the only thing on the menu. Actually, there was no menu, the only question asked was how do you want it cooked? (saignant!) But each night seemed to exceed the prior one, climaxing with the roast sucking pig (I'm not kosher) followed by the lemon sorbet soaked in vodka at Le Petit Prince de Paris, right in the Latin Quarter section where we stayed.

Well, obviously we have tons of photos and stories, but, I know, it's time to get back to racing, mostly equine, but the electoral ones as well. The Head Chef will surely comment on her Grapes and Greens blog, and we'll put the photos up on flickr or something like that. Just over three weeks until the Breeders' Cup. Here, I'll be focusing on handicapping, at least on the races I either care about (not the Marathon or the juvenile turf races), or can decipher without the uncertainty of a preponderance of European entries with their scanty past performance lines. We're not going to get bogged down on the stuff we know - that the Breeders' Cup has effectively diluted and ruined most of the rest of the racing season, that there are too many BC races on too few days, that ESPN sucks, that the BC Challenge races have gotten totally out of hand and meaningless, that the Ladies Classic should still be called the Distaff, and that the whole Fillies Friday idea is stupid. You have plenty of other blogs to read about that crap. None of it really matters anyway, because the issue at this point is strictly handle in the face of all of the competition for gambling dollars that the industry faces. And even if Uncle Mo is for real, even if ESPN devotes a few minutes at halftime of a Monday night game to the races, even if their ratings go up by a couple of points, even if Joe Tessitore is less insufferable than usual, that's not going to change or help the bottom line given the current state of the industry. So we'll just deal with the game. Be back stateside soon.

Waiting for the Sun

We're scheduled to come back to NY on Wednesday, though our flight is already listed as being three hours late, oh man. So please indulge me another post (or two if I have time to kill in the airport), and we'll get back to the subjects at hand.

We visited the Pere Lachaise Cemetery on Monday which, as you may know, is well-known for housing the remains of Jim Morrison. However, a vast list of well-known artists, musicians and celebrities are interred there (the works by some of whom - Jacques-Louis David, Eugène Delacroix, Amedeo Modigliani, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - we saw in our visits to seven museums in five days here). It's hard to describe what it was like, especially on another brilliant, cloudless early autumn day. The monuments there range from majestic to eerie to haunting to, and it was like being in a dream. Or a Tim Burton movie.







I have to admit that I got quite emotional upon visiting Morrison's grave. Not that I was such a huge Doors fan, though I've owned their entire collection since back in the day, and their music was an important part of my teenage years. I think it was more the fact that the Doors were part of the '60s musical culture that represented such hope in those heady days of peace and love. Maybe we were all just naive kids, but the notion of 'peace on earth' and 'war is over, if you want it' seemed to be such a real possibility then. Now it's just a pipe dream, and a joke to many. I think it was the memory of those long-past years contrasted with the terror of the current times and the bleak and, yes, hopeless outlook for the future which really got to me.

Waiting for the sun, waiting for the sun, waiting for the sun
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting........indeed.


- We were really surprised that you're allowed to take pictures in the Louvre, and it made for a scene which just seemed undignified considering the brilliance of the masterpieces on display there. And while flashes are prohibited, that rule was widely ignored and completely unenforced. I think what I'll remember most about the Mona Lisa on this visit is the frenzy of the crowd jockeying to take photos of it. (When I was there in 197....well, a long time ago, it was basically just another painting on the wall; now, it stands by itself behind plexiglass with a barrier and a guard keeping viewers a good distance away.) At one point, some American rudely ordered me to move from in front of a canvas because she was trying to take a photo! The nerve! The only harsh words I had with anyone the entire time we were here.

On the other hand, no photos or filming are allowed at the Musee D'orsay, which made for a far more pleasant visit. However, that rule was recently relaxed for the filming of an episode of Gossip Girl (of all things), and the Head Chef is very jealous of her good friend Ron Fortunato, who shoots the series (and also directs some episodes). He was permitted to film Blair and Serena standing in front of Manet's masterpiece Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass). Very cool. xoxo.

- Another reason I wanted to come here for the Arc was so I wouldn't miss out on going to the Jets-Vikings game on Monday night. But between the 45 minute rain delay and the deluge that came towards the end of the first half, I guess it didn't turn out so bad. With the win, the Jets are now 4-1 and in first place. Just in case you missed it.

Paris Post-Arc

Just to clarify in response to comments by DiscreetPicks and John....look, obviously, I wanted to come last week for the Arc. However, working in finance as I do, when I requested to take off the days immediately following the close of the third quarter on Sept 30, I got an extremely chilly response. So, we moved it back a week (which did not particularly upset the Head Chef, who's been pushing for a Paris trip sans equines for some time). (And, I might add, it's worked out gloriously in terms of the weather, which has been, and is predicted to be for the remainder of our stay, absolutely picture perfect.) However, if we're lucky enough to come back here, hopefully in the next year or two, it will be for the Arc. And if I'm still stuck working at my present company (where nobody, obviously, has the good taste to read this blog), they'll just have to fucking deal with it.

I believe that there actually is racing at Longchamps on Tuesday. But it's not on the Head Chef's itinerary (she's firmly in control here); and even if it was, we wouldn't be able to get there anyway due to the general strike scheduled for that day. The public unions are upset about Prime Minister Sarkozy's efforts to raise the retirement age from.....get ready.....60 to 62. It looks like the rail systems will mostly shut down, as well as Air France and possibly the air traffic controllers too. We moved a couple of museum visits up from Tuesday to Sunday in case of closures there. There have also been rumblings about an open-ended strike as opposed to the usual 24-hour affairs here, but that doesn't appear likely according to what I've read....and we're hoping we'll be able to fly home on Wednesday evening as scheduled.

So, I won't be seeing any horse races, though I did run into a guy who scored big on Arc day.



And just a note if I may to my buddy Green Mtn Punter and others of his tea-infused ilk who are just regaining consciousness after reading about the dispute here in France. I believe in free enterprise and the right of everybody to engage the system, take risks, and earn the big bucks. But I also believe that government can, and should, play an ample role in assisting those who spend the 40+ years of the prime of their lives toiling in menial work (and not being to take days off to go to horse races whenever we'd like), a group which comprises the vast majority of us of all political persuasions, to be able to enjoy the relatively few remaining physically-enabled years of their active lives in peace. That's not too much to ask, and my opinion is that the revulsion to government which we're presently seeing in our country today is illogical, reactionary, and wholly against the interests of even those who are caught up in the current hysteria, no matter where the roots of it lie. Just my two cents.

Prowess Potential

Checking in with a quick note from Paris where I just watched a replay of Uncle Mo's win in the Champagne. Y'know, I don't get excited about horses until they've actually advanced beyond winning a maiden race and entry-level allowance, and this Grade 1 race was nothing but the latter. Having said that though, any time you see a horse come home in 24 flat in a mile dirt race, it's doing pretty well, no less a two-year old making its second start (final time an impressive 1:34.51). He might have gone even faster had he not on three occasions lugged in during the stretch drive. And remember that he got his last quarter in 23.54 in his six furlong debut.

Still, he beat nobody of note - really, the Grade 1 designations of these two-year old races are really a joke - and none of the three horses who have run back from his debut have particularly flattered him. So let's at least wait until after the Juvenile before we get carried away about his legendary prowess.

- The Rangers are about to open their 2010-11 season. And, it being 1:30 AM here in Paris, I'm about to go to bed. Pretty damn nice here by the way.

Deux Choses

The Head Chef and I are busy getting ready for a vacation in Paris (that's right, the week after the Arc), so I'll add that to the long list of excuses for the infrequent posting around here the last few weeks: our internet being down or intermittent after the storm (finally fixed a couple of days ago), being seriously ill with a bad case of bronchitis and asthma (and being really tired from the antibiotic I finally got to get over it). Don't know when I'll next post, so here's some comments on a couple of completely unrelated topics.

- I see via Railbird that Haskin is still whining that the public is owed a believable explanation, or any explanation for that matter as to why Rachel Alexandra was retired.

How can you not wonder what Rachel would have done had she not been retired, coming off three bullet works. Was she injured? Did she bleed? Were her feet acting up? Or did Jess Jackson simply wake up one morning and decide to retire her? As long as Jackson keeps the reason for her retirement to himself and keeps Steve Asmussen and Scott Blasi under a gag order, we’re always going to wonder. Her devoted fans deserved more. [Bloodhorse]

And a Railbird commenter adds:

Some of these connections, don’t seem to understand how we racing fans feel. That they are not their horses, they’re OUR horses.

Well, actually, the writer needs to get over that. They are not OUR horses. Jess Jackson owns Rachel Alexandra, and he has the right to do anything he wants with her (well, not anything).

Whatsmore, I don't really see where he owes anyone an explanation. And I think those who are demanding one need to move on with their lives at this point. The fact is, it doesn't really matter why he retired her. It's not important; after all, it's not like we're going to learn anything that will benefit the sport or the species (other than keep them out of the hands of egotistical owners like Jackson).

I think you can be sure that the decision to retire Rachel was made with what's best for Jess Jackson in mind, and not for the filly, who, as Haskin correctly points out, was training extremely well for whatever race she wasn't being pointed to. Jackson says that she deserves a less stressful life, which I guess means being herded into a stall and having her massive stablemate Curlin forced upon her without even an introductory glass of wine to loosen up; and then spending the vast majority of the rest of her life being pregnant.

I suspect that Jackson is the one who wanted a less stressful life. Maybe he's tired of being criticized and told how to campaign his horse by know-nothings like me; or maybe, with the Classic effectively out of the question, he was afraid for her legacy if she ran in races like the Distaff in which she really had little to gain. Well, of course there's the purse money, but what's the price for peace of mind? Whatever the reason however, and as selfish and ego-driven as it might have been, it's really pas de vos affaires; it's nobody's business but his.

- Carl Paladino now has nothing to say regarding his blurted-out accusations last week that Andrew Cuomo kept paramours. On Tuesday, he said of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver "“The man’s a criminal, OK?” And he added: "I have no intention of sitting down with Shelly Silver." Seems like a constructive way to run the state. He also said that Andrew Cuomo "should be in jail," and that he would "absolutely" prosecute him as governor. It seems like Carl just can't help himself. Even with fellow Republicans urging him to tone it down, he only appears to know how to dial it up to 11.



The Paladino campaign has set up a "debate clock" showing how many days Cuomo has declined to agree to a debate But I don't blame the Cuomo campaign for not wanting to lend their opponent the air of legitimacy that the debate format does. That might make Paladino seem like a serious candidate, when, in fact, he's nothing but a loudmouth, name-calling, blustering blowhard who, if he's not a racist, then he must be a moron for sending those vile emails along. Cuomo may very well be a far cry from the outsider he's trying to make himself out to be. And the tight control over his access goes a long way to enhance the "King Andrew" notion that he considers himself entitled to the position. But at least he's a man with a plan - 252 pages worth - and if it's not the radical change that the state government needs, at least it's a realistic, if incremental, step in that direction. Paladino has nothing to offer but the steam coming out of his ears.

You'd think that Cuomo would be ahead in the polls by more than he is, but it seems as if the "upstate" vote is roughly split. I guess I don't really know much about upstate, where is it exactly, somewhere near Texas?

And with that, au revior, bonne chance aux courses, et de vous parler bientôt!

Haynesfield

I kinda liked Haynesfield; he seemed to be the clear speed of the field with the only question being if Rail Trip would be able to press the issue in his real dirt debut and wearing an aluminum pad. But everyone was saying that a son of Speightstown couldn't possibly win at a mile and a quarter, and I chickened out and passed the race.

I might argue that a mile and a quarter at Belmont isn't a true classic distance test because it starts on the turn, and is therefore not a pure two-turn route race. But Haynesfield cut a solid, steady 24 second-and-change pace and put the field away turning for home before cruising home in 25.46 with Ramon sitting chilly at the end, earning a Beyer of 107. So it seems a pretty legitimate performance. As dominant as he was on the Big A inner track (before his ill-fated Gotham) back in 2009, who woulda thought at the time that we were looking at a future Breeders Cup Classic contender?

Speightstown may very well be a speed sire, but go back to Haynesfield's third dam, and you'll see enough stamina to explain his ability at a distance. This is the family of the Belmont winner Touch Gold and his half-brother, the Bowling Green winner With Approval (the third dam of Haynesfield is the second dam of Touch Gold); and the Queen's Plate winner Izvestia.

Rail Trip opened at 10-1, went off at 3-1, and was done not long after they entered the turn for home. Blame rallied for second, and I don't see how you can blame Garrett Gomez for the loss. The horse pretty much ran his race but just didn't have much to offer in the stretch this time. Still he reliably rallied for second, thus saving the bridgejumpers who poured more than $400,000 into show pool. Maybe he prefers two turns. Blame is a pretty steady fellow who likes Churchill Downs, and maybe he'll now be a nice price come Breeders' Cup day.

The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and the Flower Bowl both featured dawdling early paces, but was that because of a soaked turf course, or the results of cat-and-mouse games by the jockeys? After all, the final portions of both races were run in legit times. Winchester came home in splits of 24.43 and 24.25 to take the Turf Classic, and Ave closed in 23.95 to take the Flower Bowl.

In the latter, Japanese invader Red Desire seemed like the universal bet-against, yet she was sent off as the 9-5 favorite. A look at the tote showed that she was bet on the nose in the win pool, so I imagine she was taking a lot of hometown yen. Shared Account was the surprise second choice, leaving Forever Together at 7-2, her highest odds in some time. It was the first time in 14 races that she finished out of the money. Ave (Danehill Dancer) is not nominated to the Breeders' Cup and her connections would therefore have to cough up the dough. Don't know if it would be worth it, really. I'd attribute her win more to strategic aspects then her being ready to tackle the best of Europe.

Rain Rain Stayed Away..For A Day, Anyway

Belmont was canceled again on Friday, and this time it actually rained. A deluge actually, early in the morning hours. Thursday's card was canceled in anticipation of the tropical storm that was widely predicted to drench the area all day and night - they initially announced, on Wednesday afternoon, that the grass races would be off. After some early morning rain, it was basically dry for the rest of the day.

Racing will resume on Saturday for the big Super Saturday card. Five Grade 1 Races! reads the ad over on the right (the one under the picture of Braylon Edwards going into a little jig after his TD catch against Miami...and where are all the haters this week, huh? I'm telling you, don't fucking come around here if the Jets fall into the Bills trap on Sunday; I don't want to hear from you weak, punk-ass trolls if you're not gonna show up when they win). Five Grade 1's don't automatically excite me these days.....could very well mean a parade of short fields and prohibitive favorites. But this card has come up pretty strong, with only the Beldame having less than eight horses. Expect the Flower Bowl and the Hirsch Turf Classic to be run on soggy grass, and be wary of the status of the other races scheduled to be run on turf.

Thursday's weather forecast also cast gloom on the prospects for that night's Belle and Sebastian concert outdoors on the waterfront in Williamsburg; a lot of angst by fans who'd been waiting four years to see them play live. But, unlike NYRA, the promoters stayed the course, and man, were we rewarded. Amazingly, not a single drop of rain to be felt (and a spectacularly eerie view of the Manhattan skyline through the fog and tropical humidity), and the Scottish band mainly mined their vast catalog (despite a new album coming out, on Matador, on October 12) in an exquisitely brilliant two hour performance. One can really appreciate how deep a band's repertoire is when you go home from a great show and realize how many amazing songs that they did not play.

Here's a couple of videos I found online, the first courtesy of Big Ass Lens, the second thanks to some fan who posted it on You Tube.

Belle and Sebastian - Me And The Major / Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying from Big Ass Lens on Vimeo.